Don't be surprised if top free agents shun Detroit Pistons based on history

Michigan Live | Apr 24

Fans who are expecting the Detroit Pistons to make a splash this summer by signing a big-name free agent might be disappointed, writes Terry Foster of the Detroit News.

Detroit hasn't exactly been a hot spot for top free agents over the years.

Sure, the Pistons have landed some productive players who landed in Detroit via free agency and they even got a couple of big names like Chris Webber and Derrick Coleman. But both were not only near the end of their career, they also had ties to Detroit.

Players like O.J. Mayo do not.

So even though owner Tom Gores promised the world the Pistons would spend this summer, it might not matter.

"The Pistons have more than $20 million in cap space so someone is going to take that money," Foster writes. "But I guarantee the next LeBron James or Kobe Bryant is not walking through that door.

"They could end up with a guy like Atlanta forward Josh Smith, a guy who can really play when he wants but coasts way too much. He wants a max contract but seldom gives maximum effort. If there is competition, these type players are usually out of the Pistons reach.

"Gores has money to burn. But will anybody of worth take it?"

LOCAL

• Pistons.com: The Pistons' season ended barely a week ago but Greg Monroe is already preparing for next season and the move from center to power forward, writes Keith Langlois. "Back in the gym to get in some weight-lifting under Arnie Kander's supervision on Tuesday, less than a week after his third season wrapped up, Monroe will prepare this off-season to come back with a game more suited to power forward than center. Monroe took thousands of jump shots last summer, simulating game conditions as much as possible. But he admits he didn't let those shots fly as freely as he might have once the season rolled around. The solution: thousands more this summer until it becomes second nature."

NATIONAL

• ESPN.com: Drummond was named to the All-Rookie first team in addition to being dubbed the "biggest surprise" by writer David Thorpe. "Drummond projected to be a guy who needed a season or two before he figured some things out and became a dominant player, but he proved to be that player as soon as he entered the league. That's why he gets the award for "most surprising rookie" this season. His incredible athletic talents and better-than-expected skills made him a formidable rebounding and scoring big this season, with huge defensive potential. That is what franchise centers play like -- men who own the paint on both ends and in all three phases of the game (rebounding, scoring and defending). If he had played more minutes when healthy and not gotten hurt during the season, he could have challenged Lillard and a healthy Davis for ROY honors in an exciting race. Now it's a race to see who gets an All-Star nod first."